PERFECT PITCH - Query Letters that Kill

Written by Sue Kendrick


If you are reading this then you are either looking for information on how to write a query letter or your curiosity has been exited byrepparttar heading. Either way,repparttar 128981 article has grabbed your attention and hopefully what you will read here will live up to your expectations and that in a nutshell is what a good query letter is all about!

Grabbingrepparttar 128982 editor's attention, full-filling his expectations and making it easy for him to say "yes" is what we should be aiming for. I try and keep these points in mind when I write a query letter, try a few yourself and see if your success rate improves.

1. Be professional. Don't hand write letters. Set your letter out properly in a business like way. If you don't knowrepparttar 128983 formatting for this look at some ofrepparttar 128984 letters you receive from your bank, solicitor, accountant etc. Alternatively, a visit to your local library should help. 2. Keep it Brief! A busy editor doesn't want a War and Peace epic on why you think your article is perfect for his publication. This letter is of course your sales pitch, butrepparttar 128985 last thing you want is to come across as a gabby salesman so one page isrepparttar 128986 absolute maximum. Most ofrepparttar 128987 query letters I send out are much shorter! 3. Be Complimentary! Everyone is susceptible to a little flattery and editors are no exception. Saying how much you enjoyed their magazine will do you no harm at all and if you can get in a mention of a specific aspect then so muchrepparttar 128988 better. Link this up torepparttar 128989 subject of your article and you'll be steaming, but don't over do it! Too much flannel and you'll likely wash away any chance that you might have had! 4. Explain your subject. As briefly as possible, give a good over view of what your article is about. Remember that there is nothing new underrepparttar 128990 sun andrepparttar 128991 chances are that your subject has been covered many times before. You need to try and bring outrepparttar 128992 unique points of your article. This could berepparttar 128993 content itself, (you've managed to unearth new facts), or you are taking a different view of an old subject. (A popular city tour accompanied by a wheelchair bound dependent perhaps). Whatever it is, you need to provide enough information to makerepparttar 128994 editor actually read your article. 5. Say Why? It may be blindingly obvious to you, but you really do need to say why you think that readers would enjoy or appreciate your article. The main reason for this is that it shows you understandrepparttar 128995 readership and have studiedrepparttar 128996 magazine. Editors don't like receiving submissions that are totally unsuitable for their publication, it is very unprofessional and not an image you want to cultivate. 6. Why You? This one is a bit tricky and not one that you can always include. If you can claim to be an expert inrepparttar 128997 subject that you are writing about then you should certainly say so as it will add to your credibility. If not, then you had best keep quite and play up other points instead! 7. Make it Easy! If you have photographs, can supply copy on disc or have any other information that generally makes life easier forrepparttar 128998 editor, then say so! Photographs and illustrations, especially, can often berepparttar 128999 deciding factor in whether an article gets accepted or not. 8. Naming names. Don't begin your letter, Dear Editor! If you don't know whorepparttar 129000 editor is then ringrepparttar 129001 publication. There's no need to speak to him or her, you can just askrepparttar 129002 switchboard operator. Actually, I always do this anyway. Even if I knowrepparttar 129003 name ofrepparttar 129004 editor, magazine and newspaper staff tend to move around a lot so it's wise to check that they are still there. Secondly, I hate sending out articles without knowing thatrepparttar 129005 editor is at least willing to look at them. Once I've gotrepparttar 129006 name ofrepparttar 129007 editor I ask to speak to him and very briefly tell him that I'm a freelance writer and that I have an idea for an article for his publication, would he be interested in taking a look? He might say no for a variety of reasons but should he say yes it will usually be made clear that it is without commitment. If he does say "yes", there is no guarantee that it will be accepted, but at least you'll know that there is some interest. 9. Manners makethrepparttar 129008 man! A brief thank you is a good way of endingrepparttar 129009 letter, but don't grovel! This is supposed to be a business arrangement amongst equals! 10. To S.A.E. or not to S.A.E. There is much debate amongst writers about including stamped addressed envelopes forrepparttar 129010 return of manuscripts. Some writers think that including them makes it easy for a busy editor to return a manuscript. Others feel that it is unfair to expect a publication to pay forrepparttar 129011 return of material that it did not ask to receive. My own view on this tends to vary depending on what I'm sending out. For an article without photographs or illustrations I don't include an s.a.e. I always keep copies of my work and would never send a used copy out to an editor anyway so I don't need to have it returned. Usually I indicate this inrepparttar 129012 letter. If I've enclosed photographs I would include an s.a.e. although I do keep copies,repparttar 129013 cost of developing a fresh set makes it worthwhile to ask for their return.

Alternative View Points and the Lamp of Creativity

Written by Sue Kendrick


Pictures they say are worth a thousand words, but many writers know that they are worth much more than that!

Without decent photographs or other artwork to accompany an article many features published in todays magazines and newspapers would never seerepparttar light of day, so it makes sense to try and supply illustrations along with your submissions.

Last month's article gave some tips and advice on how to improve your camera wielding technique so click here if you missed it.

This month we're going to look at how photographs can spark off ideas for features and other writing opportunities which means takingrepparttar 128979 slightly unusual step of writingrepparttar 128980 article aroundrepparttar 128981 picture rather than finding photographs to illustraterepparttar 128982 article.

So let's begin withrepparttar 128983 hanged man. Who on earth is that and what does he have to do with writing or photography? Not much really, but he makes a nice analogy. The hanged man fromrepparttar 128984 Tarot card deck for those not familiar with this form of divination, isrepparttar 128985 only card inrepparttar 128986 major arcana which isrepparttar 128987 right way up when it showsrepparttar 128988 hanged man upside down!

Although he is bound and beset by problems and troubles he has takenrepparttar 128989 bold step of consideringrepparttar 128990 world and his options from an alternative view point which is what exchanging our computers and pens for a camera can do for us.

A good method of doing this is to set yourself a couple of themes. What these themes are depend on you and your interests, but let's suppose you chose "chimneys" and "dogs".

Both of these are common enough to ensure plenty of subject matter and you should be able to find enough examples whether you are a town or country dweller. Don't forget to take plenty of film with you, (or spare batteries and flash cards for digital cameras), and most importantly! A pen and notebook!

A couple of hours wanderingrepparttar 128991 streets gazing skywards at smoke blackened chimney stacks or staring fixedly atrepparttar 128992 local canine Romeo plighting his troth to Lady Muck's prize Saluki might earn you a few odd looks fromrepparttar 128993 neighbours, but with a bit of luck and determination on your part could also add a few pennies torepparttar 128994 coffers as well.

The trick is to take plenty of snaps, a doddle if you've got a digital camera as you'll only be printing offrepparttar 128995 shots you want to keep. If not, well you can often get cheap film from your local dealer's bargain box. The developing costs you'll have to take onrepparttar 128996 chin, unless there's a special offer running.

The next stage is to examine what you've got. This is a bit like a deep sea fisherman trawling for cod. Your net is not very discriminating and you'll find a lot of sprats and mackerels amongst your "catch". You may not actually have any photographs worthy of publication, but you will almost certainly have ideas and if this means that you will have to go out again armed with your camera to shoot appropriate illustrations, then so be it!

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